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I cannot recommend FSX to you all just yet, because in order to enjoy all it offers to the full you need a truly mighty PC! If you don't care and opt for this game anyway, and run it on low settings, it will look remarkably like FS2004, except FS 2004 runs much smoother on a modest machine. While many claim that FSX is not the leap forward FS2004 was when it was released, I beg to differ - not just because of many improvements and additions, including 55 great interactive missions and new traffic gracing the land and sea, but fundamentally because of one reason: the incredible terrain mesh! FS2004 by default offers terrain mesh centres of 1.2 km apart and can only be changed by adding new mesh information. FSX on the other hand allows the user to begin at 305m and offers settings down to a fantastic 1m! Add to that the truly beautiful textures offered by FSX by default and you have a monumental package.

The real bonus for this version of the sim comes from pilot immersion. The focus on high quality 3D cockpits instead of 2D panels combined with some excellent new default aircraft with convincing flight dynamics makes for a wonderfully engaging experience. And while some may grumble at leaving behind their favourite add-ons until they are ported over, I for one have decided to wave goodbye to Flight Sim 2004.

Flight is one of the greatest endeavors of mankind, to conquer that which we cannot naturally explore. Man has been dreaming of flight throughout the ages, and today that dream is no less pronounced. If you have ever dreamed of flight, what has stopped you from getting your pilot license and leaving that dream? The time, cost, fear of heights -take your pick. There could be dozens of things holding you back, and this is the reason man created Simulators. These fun little things let you try out something that you cannot do in real life, or to hone your skills if it is something you actually do in real life. Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe Edition, by developer ACES, allows you to try your hand behind the stick of a plane or practice your skills if you are a real pilot.

The series has always pushed newer computers fairly hard, but this release is an absolute joke. When Flight Simulator X was originally announced it was supposed to be Microsoft’s champion of the next generation PC gaming experience. It was to be the first DirectX 10 game released specifically for Windows Vista, followed shortly by Halo 2. Unfortunately for Microsoft Game Studios, Vista was delayed yet again, and they were forced to make a decision on their release date. They chose to release the DirectX 9 compatible game, and have promised a patch once DirectX 10 comes out. The real problem here is that on DirectX 9, performance is absolutely atrocious. I don’t know if this is a side effect of being developed for DirectX 10 and then dumbed down, but it’s simply impossible to run this game on anything close to high settings with acceptable frame rates.